[jasonb]

today the UPS lady was nice enough to bring me a Sennheiser HD650 and a HeadRoom Desktop Amp/DAC. my source to use with this is my HP G60 laptop which i have dual booting Ubuntu linux and the stock Windows 7. i haven't used the amp/DAC with windows yet, only linux, as i haven't touched windows since i started running linux, but thats another story. i plugged the amp/DAC into one of my USB ports, selected usb audio in my sound preferences, plugged the HD650's, in turned the amp/DAC on, and was immediately blown away. i turned crossfeed on and set the brightness switch to filter 1 to compensate for the added warmth and things got even better.
 
this was a major investment for me, but already i have decided that it was well worth it. i mean it's a huge night and day difference when i compare this to IEM's plugged into my smartphone, which is what i was doing less than a month ago and i thought it sounded pretty good. with the new home rig i notice much bigger dynamic range, a lot more detail, no background noise/hiss, no EMI from cell phone towers or wifi. it's just a huge difference. i thought my portable source was good, or at least decent, but now i have finally heard the difference. also, up until a couple weeks ago i prefered IEM's, but after hearing some open backed Koss UR-40's, it had me yearning for something more like the Koss's. seems kinda strange that i like both IEM's and open backed cans, but cant really stand closed cans. i prefered IEM's because i could never find a pair of full size cans that i liked, until i tried the UR-40. now the HD650 is just great. i love what i'm hearing. they have a perfect balance for my tastes. not bass light or bass heavy, but just right. not harsh or sibilant, not to dark and laid back sounding, once again just right for me.
 
i have been into car and home audio for many years and i know a good deal about audio and how to get the sound i want, but i never realized that headphones could sound this good. with all the detail i'm noticing for the first time in songs that i've heard countless times, i'm wondering why i invested so much into my home theater/2 ch music rig and my car stereo. i spent much more money on both of those systems and other than soundstage and being able to feel the bass, i see no advantage to speakers.
 
i guess my point is that i have come a long way in the last 8 months or so when it comes to headphones. hopefully i can stop the pain in my wallet though. i think i'll be good for quite a while now with this new setup.
 
 

 

[estreeter]

Well done, Jason - I expect that you will soon realise that many here spend years, and thousands, trying to find the 'right' combination. Great to see another Linux user exploring computer audio - I am currently playing with Voyage Linux as a means of setting up a headless, small footprint machine serving mpd remotely to a variety of clients. Its all good.

 

[tisb0b]

Unfortunately for you and your wallet there are better headphones out there that offer a large jump in SQ over the HD650's.   

 

[jasonb]

yea i'm liking Linux. i don't know it all that well yet though. i liked Android on my smartphone, so i figured why not try it on my laptop.  it seems much more stable and less buggy than windows, not quite as user friendly though.
 
Quote:

Well done, Jason - I expect that you will soon realise that many here spend years, and thousands, trying to find the 'right' combination. Great to see another Linux user exploring computer audio - I am currently playing with Voyage Linux as a means of setting up a headless, small footprint machine serving mpd remotely to a variety of clients. Its all good.

 

[jasonb]

well that depends on personal tastes. what has the same sound signature as the HD650's but is better at doing it? i know it's a bit early to say this, but i like the sound signature on these. i like the warmth and overall tone. it's a sound i'm used to and prefer. i knew i would like them before i even heard them.
 
i'm not a purist, i don't prefer an analytic sound, so i think will will keep me quite happy.
 
Quote:

Unfortunately for you and your wallet there are better headphones out there that offer a large jump in SQ over the HD650's.   

 

[tisb0b]

It sounds to me like you might enjoy the Audeze LCD-2's and there are bound to be a few local head-fiers in your area that have the LCD-2's so you should be able to give them an audition.   
 
Quote:

well that depends on personal tastes. what has the same sound signature as the HD650's but is better at doing it? i know it's a bit early to say this, but i like the sound signature on these. i like the warmth and overall tone. it's a sound i'm used to and prefer. i knew i would like them before i even heard them.
 
i'm not a purist, i don't prefer an analytic sound, so i think will will keep me quite happy.
 
Quote:

Unfortunately for you and your wallet there are better headphones out there that offer a large jump in SQ over the HD650's.   

 

[jasonb]

i'm fine with this new setup for now, but thanks. i just i just took a big enough leap, no more for a little while.
 
Quote:

It sounds to me like you might enjoy the Audeze LCD-2's and there are bound to be a few local head-fiers in your area that have the LCD-2's so you should be able to give them an audition.   
 

 

 

[olor1n]

Firstly jasonb, congrats on the purchase. I've just added the HD650 to my upgrade shortlist and impressions like yours are encouraging.
 
Quote:

Unfortunately for you and your wallet there are better headphones out there that offer a large jump in SQ over the HD650's.   

I'm sorry but this is a bit of a wank and such an elitist post. The OP has expressed great pleasure in his new setup and you crap on it by spruiking gear that's more than twice the price. This may be hard for some to comprehend, but there are those of us who don't have the desire or resources to burn through funds for increasingly diminishing returns.
 
I hope I'm as happy and content as the OP when I make my next purchase.

 

[tisb0b]

If you want to get offended by me for simply pointing out that there are better headphones out there then feel free to do so. 
 
Quote:

I'm sorry but this is a bit of a wank and such an elitist post. The OP has expressed great pleasure in his new setup and you crap on it by spruiking gear that's more than twice the price. This may be hard for some to comprehend, but there are those of us who don't have the desire or resources to burn through funds for increasingly diminishing returns.
 
I hope I'm as happy and content as the OP when I make my next purchase.

 

[matunus]

Your "better" sounds too preachy. It would be "better" if it were tempered with an IMHO, which is all it is.

 
cheers
 
I'm about to purchase a pair of 650's myself. My son has "borrowed" my 580's and a 650 seems like a good choice to me.
 
Based on these (admittedly subjective)  http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/524569/review-20-headphones-compared  and
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/category/over-ear
 
it would appear that 650's are a rather good choice.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Have fun with the HD-650s! They were my first high-end headphone purchase, as well, and dragged me into the headphone scene. There are a few that I like better now, but you made a great start and could have done a whole lot worse.

I hope you really enjoy them and am glad to see another Linux user here. I got my feet wet with RedHat 7.3 back in late 2002. I use OS X, as well, but have run RedHat/Fedora for years now.

Welcome to Head-Fi and I hope you stick around and get into the conversations.

 

[Kaidao]

Thanks for the quick review. I'm thinking about the HD650's also

 

[Kees]

Congratulations! The HD650 are excellent headphones, now just sit back and enjoy. 

 

[anirudh0802]

Are the HD650's good for portability? 

 

[tisb0b]

No, they are open and require a rather decent amp. 
 
Quote:

Are the HD650's good for portability?